[Ncabs] question about NC grad schools

Mon Oct 28 22:49:52 UTC 2013

Wow, thanks Cindy. This is helpful and definitely the type of
information I am seeking about these schools. And you are lucky living
in Seattle! I would love to live in a place with great transportation
like Portland or Seattle. I was in a Baltimore suburb for a couple of
years, but was not close enough to DC to benefit from the Metro, so
transportation options were relatively limited. And we will not even
speak about what transportation is like in rural western NC. (smile)

Alan, I will also be interested to hear of your experiences at these
universities.

I am definitely feeling just a tad nervous about grad school, but I
know it can be done. My current challenge is preparing for and taking
the GRE, which will be the first seven-hour exam I have ever done.
(That is with the extended time accommodation, of course.)

Thanks again, and I look forward to further discussions with members
of this list.

Shickeytha

On 10/28/13, Cindy Bennett <clb5590 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Shickeytha,
>
> I grew up in Asheville, graduated from UNC Wilmington and now live on
> the west coast in Seattle.
>
> I personally had a great experience at UNCW! The disabilities office
> was great although I feel that I did not need a lot of accommodations,
> so my experiences with them were pretty minimal. They scanned my books
> and provided a reader for math-related classes which was super nice.
> They even allowed me to choose my reader and bring them in to fill out
> paperwork so they could get paid. I had a few old-timey professors who
> insisted that I take tests in the disabilities office. I prefer to
> take my tests with the students so I can ask questions of the
> professor if I need to, but I picked my battles and did not argue too
> much, because in these particular classes, the tests were rather
> straight-forward. I did take tests separately for math-related classes
> when I needed to use my reader. However, if that is an accommodation,
> the office will work with you. Overwhelmingly however, my professors
> were willing to work with me directly and we did not typically need to
> involve the disabilities office.
>
> When you sign up, you will see a list of accommodations. I would just
> check all of them even if you do not plan to use one. For example, I
> didn't think I would need a reader, but the process of getting one was
> so much more seamless because I had checked it off from the beginning.
>
> I will say all of this with the disclaimer that I have not been to
> UNCW since 2011 so staff may have changed, but I hope that they still
> exhibit the positive and not overbearing qualities that I enjoyed as a
> student.
>
> The campus itself is beautiful and walkable. However, the bus system
> really sucks. I did not have a lot of independent travel experiences
> when I went to UNCW and was ok with getting rides and such. But now
> that I have had blindness training, I wouldn't give up the big city if
> someone paid me. So if public transit is super important to you,
> especially if you will have a lot of practica, you might want to think
> twice about UNCW.
>
> There is a DSB office in the area, and you can get some O&M on campus
> before if you would like. However, you probably know from your
> undergrad experience that you will ultimately just have to get out
> there and explore, because O&M can't teach you everything. I do not
> think the campus is overly confusing by any means. From my experience,
> everything was accessible. When I moved into my freshman dorm and
> asked for braille signs, they installed them immediately. So if there
> is a need like that that arises, the university seems to consider
> improvements.
>
> Grad students can live on campus, but as of last time I checked, there
> is no dedicated grad housing. there are apartment complexes in walking
> distance from the university. Unfortunately, many of the streets with
> shopping centers near UNCW are not very walkable.
>
> I am not familiar with being a grad student as I am applying to grad
> school myself, but I know that the grad programs tend to be well
> acclaimed, not quite as hard to get into as some other universities,
> and that the community of professors and students is still small and
> intimate.
>
> I am most familiar with the psychology department and have maintained
> contacts. If you are pursuing one of the masters programs in
> psychology, then feel free to email me offlist with your interests,
> and I will be happy to introduce you to faculty that I know if they
> fit with your interests. They just got a great new building, and when
> I was an undergrad research assistant, I worked on a cohesive team
> that respected my strengths; blindness was never a big deal.
>
> And best of all, it is near the beach!
>
> HTH!
>
> Cindy
>
> On 10/28/13, D Minter <cmin79 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> I would love to hear these responses also.
>>
>> Sent from my iPad
>>
>>> On Oct 28, 2013, at 11:31 AM, Shickeytha Chandler <shickeytha at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hello all,
>>>
>>> I live in the western part of the state and received my undergraduate
>>> degree several years ago. I am now looking at a few graduate programs
>>> and would like to see if any of you can give feedback about any of the
>>> following schools: UNC Wilmington, NC State University, and UNC
>>> Greensboro. I know that having a strong Disability Services office and
>>> a campus culture that is open to people who are blind can make life so
>>> much more pleasant when one is trying to focus on studies and does not
>>> need distractions such as worrying about getting appropriate
>>> accommodations, etc. And I am sure that will be even more important at
>>> the graduate level. So do any of you have any experience at any of
>>> these schools? Also, I would be open to any insight any of you have
>>> about being a blind grad student in general. Thanks in advance!
>>>
>>> Shickeytha
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Ncabs mailing list
>>> Ncabs at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ncabs_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> Ncabs:
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ncabs_nfbnet.org/cmin79%40gmail.com
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Ncabs mailing list
>> Ncabs at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ncabs_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> Ncabs:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ncabs_nfbnet.org/clb5590%40gmail.com
>>
>
>
> --
> Cindy Bennett
> Secretary: National Association of Blind Students
>
> B.A. Psychology, UNC Wilmington
> clb5590 at gmail.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> Ncabs mailing list
> Ncabs at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ncabs_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> Ncabs:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ncabs_nfbnet.org/shickeytha%40gmail.com
>